Thomas Lynn | The Valdosta Daily TimesGubernatorial candidate Michael Williams made a stop in Valdosta Monday evening as part of his 'deportation bus' tour.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Chanting “no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” a Lowndes County crowd protested gubernatorial candidate Michael Williams’ deportation bus tour stop Monday evening along St. Augustine Road.

Williams, who served in the Georgia State Senate, said he wanted to do something a little different for his tour. So, his team painted a school bus grey, put fake bars on the windows and painted “deportation bus” in bold white letters across the side.

The bus sparked Valdosta State University student Andres Contreras, 22, to action. A first-generation Mexican-American, Contreras reached out to his friends about protesting the bus tour.

“It just sort of grew from there,” he said. “We got a permit and more and more people started showing their support.”

Contreras said they were protesting the hateful words used on the bus that include “Murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molesters and other criminals on board, follow me to Mexico.”

He said using those words to describe some Mexicans makes people suspicious of all Mexicans.

“We’re your neighbors. We’re part of the community, and that language is hurtful,” Contreras said. “There are criminals in every ethnicity, but to generalize immigrants as rapists and murders, should not be acceptable.”

Williams parked the “deportation bus” at an old gas station along St. Augustine and spoke with Contreras. Williams said he wanted to raise awareness for his plan to require all 159 counties in Georgia to become part of the 287(g) program.

The program is an initiative of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that delegates authority for immigration enforcement to local law enforcement.

“I think the bus is getting the message across,” Williams said. “I’m trying to interact with people, get a conversation going and some people have been very receptive to that.”

Williams said local sheriff and police officials would be allowed to identify people here illegally who commit another crime and have them deported.

Contreras said this would allow people of color to be racially profiled. Williams said the program is not designed to profile or attack anyone of specific nationality.

Although they disagreed with each other, Williams and Contreras debated the issue without yelling or name calling. The two shook hands and walked back to their respective camps – Contreras to the protesters on the sidewalk and Williams near the “deportation bus.”

Valdosta was the last stop on Williams’ tour before heading back to Atlanta. He has been lagging in the polls with only 3 percent of support, according to an 11Alive News poll. That puts him in last place as the GOP candidate seeking to replace a term-limited Gov. Nathan Deal.

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256